Cities sweat funding as Congress picks at 'earmarks' - USATODAY.com

Cities sweat funding as Congress picks at 'earmarks' - USATODAY.comCities are bracing to lose millions of dollars in funding for transportation and community projects, from subway lines to youth centers, because of a renewed push in Congress to ban lawmaker-directed spending known as 'earmarks.'
With the incoming Republican majority in the House of Representatives committed to ending the practice and the Senate facing a vote to ban earmarks today, local officials are scrambling to find ways to pay for projects in case the federal funding never arrives.

Spending bills in the House for the 2011 fiscal year include more than 3,000 earmarks worth $3 billion, according to the budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense — from $2.5 million for a transportation center in Rochester, N.Y., to $250,000 for park upgrades in Gonzales, La.

It's not clear whether Congress will approve any of those in the year-end session underway. And after several candidates successfully raised the spending as an issue in the midterm elections, some local leaders say they're worried about the chances in 2011.

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Cities sweat funding as Congress picks at 'earmarks' - USATODAY.com